Project Based Learning:

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teacher guide Bring authentic learning into the classroom with this PBL. Students will use 21st century skills to plan and create an Ancient Chinese newspaper! If done in its entirety, students will: •  design a newspaper title and logo using Chinese characters

•  pick a location for your newspaper factory

•  write a daily weather report

•  explain to farmers the new method of terracing

•  create a model of terracing

•  design a comic strip involving the Terracotta Army

•  write a current event article on the Great Wall looking at the pros

and cons

•  write an advice column from the perspective of Confucius

•  design advertisements for Chinese inventions

•  create a newspaper that will engage readers

Included is a self-reflection checklist, a peer feedback checklist, and

teacher rubric.

The final result of this PBL is the cumulative project at the end, the

Ancient Chinese newspaper. Students will display their findings and

go on a gallery walk of all students’ newspapers.

Remind students that they are acting as the creator of an Ancient

Chinese newspaper. They want to create their newspaper with the

mindset of enticing readers to buy and read their paper. How can

they make it engaging and intriguing so that readers will be

interested and want to subscribe?

Presentation ideas:

•  Invite parents in during the gallery walk.

•  Make the newspaper gallery walk an event! Set up punch or

lemonade along with cookies. Students can munch on treats

while browsing the newspapers.

•  Post the newspapers in the school library

•  Leave post-it notes on each desk next to the newspapers. Other

students can write compliments or positive feedback on each

post-it note, as well as an area for growth and improvement.

teacher guide: end result

BEGINNING How long do you want the PBL to take? Go through this packet first, and decide which elements that you want to incorporate. Check off the following that you want your students to work on.

q  The logo: use Ancient Chinese characters to write a title and logo

for your newspaper.

q  Newspaper factory: pick a location for your factory

q  The weather report: research the usual weather in China to inform

your readers of the weather in their area.

q  Terracing techniques article: explain the benefits of the terracing

method to farmers

q  Terracing model: create a model of a terrace and photograph it

to put into your newspaper.

q  Comic strip: create a comic strip centered around the Terracotta

Warriors

q  Current events section: write an editorial article on the pros and

cons of the Great Wall

q  Advice with Confucius: write advice to readers from the

perspective of Confucius.

q  Advertisements: create advertisements for popular Ancient

Chinese inventions.

q  Newspaper (cumulative project and end goal): put together the

various pieces of your newspaper.

teacher guide: beginning

Activity What are they learning about Egypt?

What real-life skills are they gaining?

The logo Chinese characters How can I create a title that grabs a reader’s attention?

Newspaper factory Chinese geography How can I analyze and use a location to benefit a company or product?

The weather report Weather in China

How can I look at weather trends to decide on a weather report?

Terracing techniques article

Terracing farming technique How can I synthesize information to make it engaging to reader?

Comic strip Terracotta warriors How can I design a comic strip that shows sequencing?

Current events Pros and cons of the Great Wall

How can I analyze the pros and cons of an event to decide my opinion?

Advice column Confucius How can I use information about a real-life person and make an educated guess what he/she might say?

Advertisements Chinese inventions How can I use a marketing space to create something engaging to readers that makes them want to buy something?

Newspaper cumulative understanding of Ancient China

How can I use various elements to create something that encompasses all of it?

teacher guide: what are they learning?

TIMING Not everything needs to be done during your social studies block! The sections can be used in social studies, ELA, and STEM. Your students can take 2-3 days to complete everything, or you can spread out the project over the course of two weeks. This PBL is flexible, decide how it fits your needs best. Social studies: The logo; Newspaper factory; Weather report; Terracing article; Current events article; Advice column; Advertisements ELA: The logo; Newspaper factory; Terracing technique article; Current events article; Advice column STEM: Terracing (the model portion) This PBL is flexible. This means that you do not have to use every page. Don’t have time to make a model of a terrace? Skip it! Already learned about Confucius? Don’t worry about it. Pick and choose what fits your schedule and learners best. These elements do not build off one another, the final newspaper works using all of the pieces, or just one or two. All classrooms are different, differentiate the material to work in your classroom best. Ways to do this PBL: •  Create a packet and everyone works at their own pace

•  This is self-differentiating and some students can go more in-depth

•  Page-by-page as a group to keep everyone at the same pace.

teacher guide: timing

Introduction to the PBL: the hook -  Ask students to bring in newspapers from their home or a local

business. -  Students will share these newspapers at their table, and discuss

what catches their eye. -  Ask students to brainstorm a list of all the different sections that

are in the newspaper that they brought (like weather/ads/current events/editorials/sports/etc.).

-  Which section would they want to read first? -  How are the sections easy or not easy to read?

-  Pass out “Your Mission” and discuss the central question -  Students will brainstorm what they need to know in order to

answer this driving question. For example: geography of China, Chinese characters, etc.

Other ideas -  Skype with a newspaper journalist -  Invite in a parent or speaker who write for a newspaper -  Watch a YouTube video of a newspaper factory at work (just type

in “newspaper factory”!).

teacher guide: introduction

teacher guide: how-to Your Mission (page 16): This is how to start the PBL. You can either give each student a copy, or simply project it up so that everyone can see it. Reading “Your Mission” as a group will help to heighten student interest. Steps (page 17): I generally photocopy this on the back of the “Your Mission” sheet. Students can keep it and check off what they completed as they go along. The Paper (pages 18-19) Students will create a name and logo for their newspaper. I suggest photocopying the second page behind the first sheet if you’d like for them to write it on the paper. Otherwise, students can get a separate piece of paper to practice writing their newspaper name. The Factory (page 20-21) Students will decide where their newspaper factory will be placed. Remind them to think about the logistics and transportation. Since this is Ancient China, they should be thinking about transportation with rivers and the convenience of being next to a large city to distribute their paper. Weather report (pages 22-23) Students will research the weather for the newspaper factory location that they chose in the previous activity. Show an example of a weather report on the projector or in a newspaper so that students understand what it is. Extra help: Photocopy the weather reading passage onto the back of the report. Students can look and see where their factory is located (north, west, south, or east) and then look up the weather accordingly to assist in creating their weather report. Enrich: Skip the weather information sheet, and instead use Weather.com or Accuweather.com to research the weather in the specific part of China that the student chooses.

teacher guide: how-to Terracing (pages 24-27). Students will research and write from the perspective of an author explaining terracing to new Chinese farmers. There are two separate handouts:

Handout A: gives the option of a terrace model Handout B: does not give the option of a terrace model

If you do not have time to create a model, pick the handout that does not give the option. If you’d like to do it, kids can create a terrace by cutting into a ball of clay to make the terracing steps. Then they can photograph, print, and add to their newspaper. Extra help: Photocopy the terracing reading passage onto the back. Read this in small groups or guided reading and discuss. In Writer’s Workshop, brainstorm the essay as a group. Enrich: Skip the terracing reading passage and have students research terracing on their own before writing. Comic strip (page 28-30): You have a choice of giving students the six panel handout, or the handout where students create as many comic panels as they would like. Extra help: Read and discuss the reading passage in small groups or during guided reading. Show real-life pictures of the Terracotta Army. Brainstorm ideas as a group about how the Terracotta Army could be in a comic strip. What might they do? How would they act if they were alive? Enrich: Students will research and create the comic strip on their own without the reading passage.

Current events (pages 31-32): Photocopy the reading passage and writing portion back-to-back. Students will research and analyze the Great Wall of China and discuss its pros and cons. Students are taking the role of an editorial journalist in this activity. This is a great opportunity to practice summarizing, as well as looking at history through a different lens. Extra help: Read through the passage during guided reading or in class. Students will read the pros and cons, then figure out how to sort them, writing them in the box below. Enrich: Without the reading passage, this is one of the tougher activities in this PBL. Students can research the Great Wall of China on the Internet to figure out the pros and cons. Advice column (pages 33-35): Photocopy these pages so that they create a double-sided handout. Create an advice column with questions from the reader, and play the part of Confucius giving advice. Extra help: Read through the reading passage on Confucius’ life. In small groups or whole class, discuss Confucius. I would show a BrainPop or YouTube video clip on him as well. Talk about his quotes. What kind of things did Confucius believe? If we met him today, what would he be like? This will help direct the advice column. Some kids will have trouble also coming up with the initial “advice” that Confucius will “reply” to. Pull up an (appropriate) advice column in class so that kids see examples of what this is. Enrich: Students will research Confucius without the reading passage on page 33 to complete this section.

teacher guide: how-to

Inventions advertisement (pages 36-37): Photocopy pages 34-35 to create a double-sided handout. Students will create advertisements for Ancient Chinese inventions. Look at real-life ads as a group. How do companies market their item? Extra help: Discuss each invention listed on the passage as a group. Then, discuss each one and how we use it today. Enrich: Students will research Ancient Chinese inventions without the invention list. Newspaper: This is the end project. All the parts before this are preparing to create their final paper. The ads and comic strip are sketches in the beginning activity, they become colorful and finished for the final newspaper. Students should sketch out the layout of their newspaper before starting on the final product. Remind them to think about how much space that the various elements will need, and to do the initial layout in pencil in case of mistakes. Possible materials for newspaper: Poster board; large white construction paper; create on Microsoft Word

teacher guide: how-to

teacher guide: how-to Title

GreatWallofChinacurrentevent

ar3cle

Weatherreport

Inven3onad

Terracingar3cle

Comicstrip

Terracepicture

Advicecolumn

Inven3onad

Sample of newspaper layout for final project (front and back).

Assessments: -  Self-reflection checklist (page 38)

-  Pass this out after all students have presented their commercial. Students will reflect on how they did during the entire PBL.

-  Peer feedback checklist (page 39) -  Give one to each student. Assign them a student to listen to

and give feedback.

-  Teacher rubric (page 40) -  Assess all throughout the project, as well as for the

commercial.

teacher guide: how-to

common core standards Second-grade ELA: RI 2.1, RI 2.2, RI 2.6, RI 2.8 W 2.1 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.7 SL 2.2 Third-grade ELA: RI 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.10 W 3.1, 3.23.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 SL 3.2, 3.6 Fourth-grade ELA: RI 4.1, 4.2 W 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 SL 4.3, 4.6 Fifth-grade ELA: RI 5.2, 5.9 5.1, 5.4 SL 5.5, 5.6

your mission You live in Ancient China, and decide that you want to create a

newspaper. You want it to be successful and for readers to be

excited to read your paper. More readers means more money and

success for you!

Central question: How can you, as the creator of an Ancient Chinese

newspaper, create a newspaper that is engaging and intriguing to

readers?

steps STEP 1: Design a title for your newspaper using Chinese characters. STEP 2: Pick a location for your newspaper factory. STEP 3: Write a daily weather report. STEP 4: Explain to farmers the new farming method, terracing STEP 5: Create a comic strip about the Terracotta Army. STEP 6: Write an opinion piece on the pros and/or cons of the Great Wall STEP 7: Help Confucius write an advice column. STEP 8: Design advertisements for various Chinese inventions STEP 9: Create your Ancient Chinese newspaper.

the paper Create the logo and title of your newspaper using Chinese calligraphy and characters.

Name: ___________________

the paper Write the title of your paper in Chinese calligraphy below.

newspaper factory You need a factory to create your newspaper. Where in China are you going to build your factory?

Name: ___________________

Yangtze River

Beijing

Why did you choose this as the site of your newspaper factory? What

makes this an ideal spot to create and distribute newspapers?

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

weather report The Ancient Chinese need to know the weather! Research the weather and create a weather report.

Name: ___________________

weather in china The Ancient Chinese need to know the weather! Research the weather and create a weather report.

NORTH WEST EAST SOUTH

TEMPERATURE Hot and dry

summers;

bitterly cold

winters

Cool; some

rain;

Hot

summers;

mild winters

Humid and

tropical

summers;

warm

winters

PRECIPITATION Lots of rainfall;

some

flooding; lots

of snow in

winter

Desert like

conditions

Lots of rain

during the

summer

Monsoon

rains in the

spring and

summer

SEASONS? Has seasons Has seasons Has seasons Little

change

before

seasons

terracing Teach the Ancient Chinese about terracing. Research how it works, then explain the benefits of it to your readers.

Name: ___________________

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

terracing Teach the Ancient Chinese about terracing. Research how it works, then explain the benefits of it to your readers. Use clay to create a model of a terrace to photograph and add to your newspaper article.

Name: ___________________

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

terracing Terraces are very popular in China. Terraces resemble steps, and

are cut into hillsides to help with farming. Terraces are usually found in

East and South China. Farmers can grow rice, wheat, and barley

using terrace farming.

China is full of hills and mountains. These hills and mountains can

make farming very difficult. Water rolls right off the hills instead of

soaking into the soil and helping to grow crops. Terraces makes land

usable.

Terracing is good for the environment. It is a type of soil

conservation. It helps to stop erosion and controls floods.

Building terraces is very difficult. Builders must dig into the hillside

to create the steps. Parts of the Earth and topsoil are removed to

construct the terraced, then smoothed to make a flat surface for the

agriculture that is being grown.

terrace model Create your own model of a terrace out of clay. Take a picture of it, then add it to your newspaper.

Name: ___________________

comic strip Research the Terracotta Warriors. Create a comic strip them as

main characters. Use the panels below, or use a separate piece of paper to create your own panels.

comic strip Research the Terracotta Warriors. Create a comic strip them as

main characters. Use the panels below, or use a separate piece of paper to create your own panels.

terracotta army What? •  A group of life-size terracotta (clay) sculptures shaped

like an army •  Figures included warriors, chariots, and horses •  More than 8,000 soldier statues

When? •  Built in 210-209 BCE •  Discovered in 1974

Who? •  Created to protect Emperor Qin •  Discovered by local farmers

Where? •  Found in Lintong District, Xi’an in western China

Why? •  Purpose was to protect the emperor in the afterlife

How? •  Each figure is life-size •  Different heights, uniform, hairstyle, and face for each

figure •  Created by government laborers using molds

current events The Great Wall of China is being built. Research the pros and cons, then the pros and cons of the Great Wall to your readers.

___________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________ Name: ___________________

great wall of china Read the facts about the Great Wall. Then, separate the list into “pros” and “cons.”

Name: ___________________

What? •  Wall built in China

When? •  Built between 1300-2000 CE

Who? •  Built by the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty

Where? •  Built east-to-west across northern China

Why? •  Protected against nomadic tribes like the Xiongnu

How? •  Soldiers, prisoners, and local people built the wall

Pros Cons

Sort and write the following into the Pro or Con category:

•  Thousands of people died working on the wall •  Protected against nomadic tribes

•  Provided safety to traders on the Silk Road •  Expensive to build

•  China could still be attacked •  Kept most of enemies out

advice column Your newspaper wanted Confucius to write the advice column, however last minute he has to cancel on his responsibility! It is up to you to pretend to be Confucius and write an advice column that mirrors his thoughts and opinions. You need at least three people asking for advice, then respond as Confucius. Come up with three advice questions below:

Advice question #1: _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Advice question #2: _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Advice question #3: _______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Name: ___________________

advice column Write a response to each advice question from the perspective of Confucius. Using the information that you know about him, how might he respond to each response?

Advice response #1: ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Advice response #2: ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Advice response #3: ______________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Name: ___________________

confucius

Confucius was born in 551 BCE. He was a teacher and

philosopher. A philosopher is someone who comes up with ideas.

Confucius grew up poor.

Confucius thought it was important to treat everyone with love,

kindness, and respect. He said that a person can learn to be good

by studying kings and rituals. Confucius thought that everyone had a

role in society. If people accept their role, then the world would be

peaceful. He said one of the most important things in a society is for

children to respect and listen to their elders and parents.

People still follow Confucius’ teachings today. His teachings

eventually became a religion known as Confucianism.

Confucius quotes:

“Do not do unto others, what you would not want others to do to

you.”

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, that is called a

mistake.”

“Everything has beauty, but no everyone sees it.”

Name: ___________________

invention ads The Ancient Chinese invented many things. Research some of their inventions during ancient times, then pick two to create an advertisement for. Remember, make your advertisements colorful and engaging to persuade someone to buy it! Use two separate pieces of paper. You can sketch your ideas underneath.

Name: ___________________

Advertisement #1 sketch

Advertisement #2 sketch

inventions Some of the inventions of the Ancient Chinese include:

•  compass

•  fireworks

•  hot air balloon

•  gunpowder

•  kite

•  matches

•  porcelain

•  printing

•  silk

•  umbrella

•  wheelbarrow

Think about these inventions. Which have been used all throughout

history? How do we use these inventions today? Which are most

important today?

self checklist Name: ______________________

Planning ___ Did I do my best? ___ Did I complete each section of the planning process? ___ Did I follow classroom rules during each planning step?

Commercial

___ Did I do my best? ___ Did my commercial presentation explain my museum? ___ Did I make eye contact with the audience? ___ Did I speak loudly and clearly?

peer checklist Name: ______________________ The peer I am giving feedback to is ______________________

Commercial

___ Is my peer making eye contact with the audience? ___ Does my peer have a visual to help convince others to visit the museum? ___ Is my peer taking his or her time? ___ Is my peer speaking loudly and clearly to the audience?

peer checklist Name: ______________________ The peer I am giving feedback to is ______________________

Commercial

___ Is my peer making eye contact with the audience? ___ Does my peer have a visual to help convince others to visit the museum? ___ Is my peer taking his or her time? ___ Is my peer speaking loudly and clearly to the audience?

Expert Accomplished Developing Novice

Amount of Ancient China

content

All topics are addressed and . It goes beyond

what we learned in the classroom.

Your final product and presentation show a thorough understanding of Ancient China.

Your final product and presentation

show a basic understanding of Ancient China.

Your final product and presentation does not show an understanding of Ancient China.

Planning You consistently made the most of

your time and stayed focused, Your research is

thorough, timely, and addresses

the greater issue and the specific project needs.

You usually made the most of your time and stayed

focused, Your research is timely,

and addresses the greater issue and the specific project needs.

You sometimes made the most of

your time and stayed focused,

Your research could be more thorough, and was not always completed on

time.

You did not make good use of your

time. Your research was not

completed on time.

Newspaper organization

The newspaper has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.

The newspaper has attractive formatting and well-organized information.

The newspaper has well-organized information.

The newspaper’s formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.

Knowledge gained

Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the newspaper.

Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the newspaper.

Student can answer some of the questions related to facts in the newspaper.

Students appears to have little knowledge about the facts in the newspaper.

rubric Name: __________________________

Notes: